The Supreme Court on Monday let stand New York’s strict gun control law, rejecting an appeal from a group of gun owners.
At issue was whether the Constitution’s Second Amendment provided a broad individual right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense.
New York’s Penal Law 265.03(03) bans possession of a firearm in public, either openly or concealed, unless someone can show “proper cause” to secure a carry permit. Such proper cause has to be more than just a law-abiding citizen’s desire for self-defense.
Since the high court refused to intervene, the state law stays in place.
A group of Westchester County residents, supported by the Second Amendment Foundation, sued and lost in the lower federal courts. The Supreme Court in 2008 affirmed an individual right of law-abiding citizens to have a handgun in the home. In this case, the issue pivoted to what weapons are allowed in public.
The case is Kachalsky v. Cacace (12-845).